Nightmares
by TitaHightopp05
Summary: "A mad hatter, Alice, really?" "No...". I won't spoil you what she says next! Fluffy OneShot, missing puzzle piece of "Suffering", in which Alice comforts Tarrant after a nightmare. Read&(most important)Review&Enjoy!


**Here I go again! That's the FF that takes place between the 3°chapter and the Epilogue of "Suffering", whithout this OneShot I think you'll get a bit confused about the last chapter of its prequel so... yeah, enjoy!**

 **I noticed that a lot of people read "Suffering"... lots of people had surely seen that great blank space where 'Type your review here...' is written... why don't you listen to it? Please, I really need them! I have to know if you are interested or if I have to close my imagination down and exasperate my Pillow Psychologist with my FF ideas!**

 _ **Nightmares**_

Alice was awoken in the middle of the night by a scream which came from the lower floor.

'Hatter!' she suddenly realized and quickly got up from the bed.

She had just returned back to Underland after 4 years of absence and the first place she reached have been the tea tables, straight to the Hatter. He was so happy that she was back, he had even offered her to remain in his house for the night as it was getting dark and the trip to Marmoreal was quite long. She had accepted: the Hatter had given her his bed and he would have slept on the couch. It seemed to be a quiet night since now!

She practically slid down the staircase and busted into the living room: "Hatter!" she called from the last step.

She found him still sleeping, but shifting and mumbling in Outlandish. Alice quickly approached at him and shook him awake: "Hatter, wake up, please! It's just a dream, wake up!" she kept saying until he shot his eyes open and violently sat upright. He focused her person and gasped.

"Hatter, are you ok now?" Alice asked quietly, still worried.

"A-Alice…" he stuttered "What a-are you doing here?"

"I heard you scream and I came down to check what was happening" she said, sitting on the edge of the couch and removing a little lock of hair away from his eyes. He was shaking like a leaf and sweating, his breath was labored and his eyes wet. He probably had his worst nightmare.

The Hatter slowly lifted a hand to her face, but seemed afraid to touch her. She learned herself into his palm and a sigh of relief escaped from the light grin he made: "Y-you… you are real!" he whispered.

She was warm and her skin was smooth, what he felt in his hand was the best thing he had ever held. Alice's hands reached his and set on the wrist: "I told you that it was all a dream to wake you up from the nightmare, but I'm real and really here"

Next thing she knew was that the Hatter had hugged her waist and had buried his head in her shoulder. She laughed and returned the hug.

"Alice! Alice, Alice, my Alice…" he said more to himself that to her, still shaking "I missed you so, so much!".

She kept passing her fingers through his wild orange hair and up and down his back, rocking him back and forth slowly: "I know and you have no idea of how sorry I am" she said.

"I thought you weren't… that you wouldn't… and I didn't…" he rumbled.

"Sshh, Hatter, calm down. I'm not going anywhere this time, I promise"

He slowly lifted his head and looked at her: "You do?" he asked hopefully.

Her heart skipped a beat when her eyes met his own: so shining green they were, and slightly moist. She smiled while caressing his cheeks, before kissing his forehead gently and hug him tight again: "I promise".

The Hatter just tightened (if possible) his grip around her: "Alice, don't leave again, please. I hardly tolerated your absence once, I'm sure I won't be able to another time…".

That broke Alice's heart in half: 'How could I be so stupid?!'. "I'm so sorry, Hatter. I really am. But, please, believe me: I'm not going away anymore"

A few minutes passed and his trembling calmed: "You know, if it all depended just on me, I would hold you like that all night long" he said with a quiet chuckle.

She giggled too: "What stops you?" she finally said, lifting her legs on the couch.

He shifted a bit to make a little space for her: "Thank you, Alice" he whispered.

"Hush, now take some sleep, Hatter…" she said sleepily resting her cheekbone upon his head.

"Alice?" he called, after what it seemed a few minutes.

"Mmh?" she murmured half asleep.

She felt him move his head, then his breath against her neck and she blushed violently. He placed a sweet, quick kiss on her jaw and whispered: "I love you". Then he laid down again.

Alice remained silent and still for a few seconds, a warm feeling in her stomach. She tried to speak, but she noticed that the Hatter was fast asleep on her shoulder; she realized that she liked how he felt asleep upon her, embracing her body like he was doing: so sweetly and ever-so-slightly possessively. Alice lowered her head and kissed warmly his lips and remained very surprised that the Hatter was, in some ways, kissing her back. She wondered what was he dreaming, then ended the contact between them: "I love you too, Tarrant Hightopp…".

A light smile appeared on his face and she cuddled in his embrace even more, before join him in sleep.

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The next morning a sunbeam reached her eye and Alice woke up in the same position of the night before, obviously they couldn't move so much on a couch. However, she had a nice sleep.

She studied the situation around her, rubbing her eyes. The Hatter was still sleeping, holding her: he looked so peaceful, a light smile curving his lips and his mess of hair even messier than normal.

She stifled a giggle and ran her fingers down his cheek: he shifted a bit and muttered her name in his sleep, she laughed softly. Alice leaned and kissed his cheek in adept to wake him up: "Tarrant?" she whispered in his ear.

He moved a little and blinked his eyes open, slowly: "Alice?"

"Good morning Hatter!"

He rubbed his eyes deeply and quickly: "Oh, dear, where have you slept!" he said worried, getting up "I'm really sorry, Alice: I shouldn't have obliged you to sleep with me last night! Tha' would have soun'ed really awful 'nd imprope' teh yeh! 'Nd please, dehn't tell meh tha' Ah told yeh wha' yeh sur'ly didn't wan' teh hear: Ah just-"

"Tarrant!" Alice called firmly holding his arms.

"Luv yeh… fez…" he shook his head and closed his eyes "I'm fine, thank you…"

"Hatter-" she started.

"Wait, please, use my proper name…"

She ran her palms up and down his arms and focused on his eyes: "Tarrant, can you please repeat what you said before… well, 'fez'?"

The Hatter thought about it and blushed: "Ah, well, I… I don't remember… exactly…"

Alice smiled lightly and leaned closer sliding her hands up until she reached his shoulders: "May I refresh your mind?"she asked with pleading eyes.

The Hatter gulped, but nodded. She placed her hands behind his neck and pulled him close, until their lips brushed together in a gentle and sweet kiss. After a few seconds, he kissed her back and encircled her shoulders with one arm pulling her even closer, while the hand of the other rested on her hip. She felt so secure in that embrace, like she could be herself and understood. Home. Yes, that was the word. The one that had hunted her for four years from the Frabjous Day, that she was so afraid to never find. She suddenly felt an enormous weight lift from her shoulders.

The kiss came to an end, she was the first to pull back to breathe, but he followed and placed some last butterfly kisses on her lips before rest his forehead on hers, nose against nose, both with eyes closed.

"Oh Tarrant, I don't know how could you ever forgive me for the time I made you wait"

He shushed her stroking his thumb on her lips, which she promptly kissed, feeling a cut on the skin: "No reason: you are back and you are staying, right?" he said in a reassuring voice.

"Yes"

He quickly kissed the corner of her mouth and hugged her to him: "Forgiven, my love"

A tear slid down her cheek and wetted his nightshirt: "I love you so, so much…" she sobbed.

"There Alice, please. No time for tears today: we have a special 'Welcome Back!' tea party to organize in your honor, a White Queen to inform that you are here and I have to make you a gown for the Ball tomorrow evening, lots of things that can't-"

"A ball?" Alice asked exasperated.

"For the 4th Anniversary of the Frabjous Day, dear. The Champion can't miss it!"

She frowned sighing and lowered her gaze to his chest. He bit his lower lip, wishing that the emphasis of the last sentence had never came out. "Listen: would you do me the honor to escort you at the Ball?"

She lifted her face, now full of joy: "Yes, yes, my Hatter"

"I love you, Alice Kingsleigh!" he exclaimed lifting her from the floor.

"As I love you…"

Through the laughter he got suddenly serious: "Alice?"

"What?"

"A mad hatter? Really?" he timidly questioned.

"No" she simply answered. He felt a cold feeling running inside his spine and nearly dropped her on the floor, but she continued: "Tarrant Hightopp, THE Mad Hatter" she affirmed.

He sighed in relief, switched her position in a bridal style and carried her upstairs placing her gently on his bed and kneeling beside it.

"What are you doing down there?" she giggled.

"Well, a not yet married couple on a bed is a pretty compromising situation-"

"-If someone is around watching at them" she finished pulling his shirt forward causing him to climb on the bed above her, supporting himself just with his elbows. He leaned in to kiss her neck as she buried her fingers in his orange curls. When Alice slid a leg from under him to wrap it around his hip, the Hatter stopped.

He nuzzled a little his cheek against hers and, resting his forehead on hers, he whispered: "I'm afraid of myself, Alice: I could never forgive me if I hurt you"

Alice lifted her hand to his cheek and brushed away a lone tear which had slid on his cheekbone; he opened his eyes and met hers: "I'm not afraid of you" she told him firmly.

He was still worried: "But… the madness, Alice. I… I don't know how to control it!" he stuttered out.

"Sshh, Tarrant…" she called cupping his face "I'll help you, trust me"

It was all he needed: he captured her lips once more and showed her how much he loved his Alice.

 **See? Blank space? Thank you for reading this!**


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